Just like they used to
by Asura Junior
Summary: Spirit and Maka reflect on their eventual parting with mixed feelings about the situations that they were in. Oneshot


**Note: This is my first fanfiction, ever. So go easy on me~**

For Spirit, flipping through his old photo album would definitely be a very nostalgic moment for him. He didn't care about the odd stares he had gotten when he would break out a picture of a young girl and give it a firm kiss as he stumbled down the sidewalk in a drunken stupor. In his mind, the little girl in the picture was branching from the surface and giving him a sweet peck on the cheek, while wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

_Just like she used to._

The sweet peck on the cheek was usually followed up by her young voice cooing through his thick locks of crimson hair; "I love you papa!" She would say. Spirit would wrap his arms and hug her tightly as if he would never be able to hold her again. Unfortunately, his little girl grew up after years passed by and earned a better understanding of the world around her. When she had first saw Spirit flirting with another woman besides her mommy, a look of uncertainty was laced across her cherub like face as she watched papa kiss mama goodnight. Maybe papa was just joking with the other girl, surely he still loved mama. When Maka asked Kami with her childish innocence why papa was talking to another girl, Kami shared that same uncertainty that Maka did. Her reaction was more drastic however, and she had stopped pushing Maka on the swing all together when the words left her mouth.

For Maka, watching her mama go back into the house was confusing. Confusion grew into a realm of fear as she listened to mama screaming at papa, she had tried to ignore it but it just wouldn't stop bursting in her ears. "_You're a filthy bastard!" _Cusses left and right left her mama's lips, something that she had never heard her mama saying before. Papa was trying to talk, but mama wouldn't let him; it was an onslaught of insults and papa could only sit there with a solemn look on his face. The insults had only stopped when both papa and mama had run out to comfort her. They kneeled next to each other with a plastic smile on their faces, Papa gently rubbing the dark blonde hair upon her head. "_Papa and mama love each other very much!"_ He proclaimed as he wrapped an arm around mama's stiff shoulder, grinning and letting out a pleasant chuckle.

Kami had never responded to Spirit, not agreeing with him nor confirming the fact that they loved each other. A couple years went by and Kami had to move away into another branch of Shibusen for a while, and as she was packing her bags she leaned over and crouched next to Maka. She had grown quite a bit, her hair was growing longer and she had pulled it back into a single ponytail. "_Keep an eye on papa!_" Kami said as she tugged gently on her daughter's cheek, causing a squeal and a giggle formed of pure glee to escape her lips. Kami had stood up without another word and gently hugged Spirit, burying her head into his shoulder as he rested his lips upon the tip of her skull. They muttered quick words of love before she had climbed onto the steps of a large jet, waving to them one last time as Spirit had pulled Maka up to rest on his shoulders.

For Spirit, watching his daughter drift away would be covered by the sudden intake of alcohol and women. He just wanted to be loved, maybe that is why he went to so many places where women were payed to admire and show affection to men. Spirit remembered a time when Maka would trip or get a 'booboo'; in which he would lovingly press his lips across the brightly colored band aid on her tiny wound. Usually Kami would do this, however papa's love would have to do for now. Maka would giggle her tears away, and trot off to play with her friends. And as that time was laid to rest, he noticed as she tripped and fell on the ground; and with a small amount of blood trickling from her wound; she would grit her teeth and move on. Even when he would offer her a band aid, or ask for 'papa to kiss it better'; she would shake her head and run off. His little girl was growing up! Nothing was wrong with that; she was going to be big and strong like papa!

That was the first night he had wrapped around his arms around two women in a bar, laughing as they asked questions he would only reply to impress. He _needed_ to be loved, and was this such a bad thing? He had unfortunately led the two girls home when he realized that it was about time for Maka to go to sleep; he had set an alarm on his watch to remember this. Spirit wished he would have led the girls there, but he insisted that they came home with him. And he just _wished_ he saw Maka's head peeking through the second story window as he pecked both girls on the cheek and stumbled through the doorway.

For Maka, watching her papa kiss two girls on the cheek was a turning point. She had remembered mama telling her to 'keep an eye on papa!'; did she fail at doing her job? Maka had witnessed how upset her mama got when she found out that papa was talking to another woman, and if mama learned about this then she would be really upset! As Maka turned around and climbed into her bed, she threw the covers over her side and wiggled into the warm embrace.

_Was papa trying to hurt mama's feelings?_

_If so, why did papa look so happy while doing it?_

Maka shriveled up into a small ball as the thoughts rolled through her head, maybe papa was just a bad man? It was hard to think that papa was bad person; he was always so nice to her! Maybe he was faking it though? Maka had curled her lips up into a tight pout as she tried to end her train of thoughts there, however braking would be impossible. It made sense to her really, papa was kissing mama all the time and telling her that he loved her; however when she was gone he would just go to another woman. He wasn't being papa, he was being a _bad _man. That night when Spirit stumbled into her room smelling of alcohol, hoping to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight; Maka faked being asleep.

Spirit wouldn't stop his rampage across the hearts of Death City's women, going to clubs and bringing women home. Maka was writing down each night that papa brought home another woman; night after night she faked being asleep. As he would step into his daughter's room, he would stand there with a solemn look on his face as his daughter slept peacefully without a single word from her papa. He began to develop the urge for more and more attention. When mama had gotten home from the trip, they greeted each other and they had a large group hug. They rushed home and papa made dinner for the both of them, while Kami went over and looked at all she missed. When she had discovered the notepad filled with numbers, Maka had told her what they were for. Kami stood there, expressionless; before walking downstairs and proceeding to whip her wedding ring at Spirit.

For both of them, the loss of a loved one was absolutely dreadful. Maka remembers seeing Spirit sit on the couch, hands folded in his lap as he sobbed. Staring at the wedding ring sitting in the middle of the glass table which was absolutely glowing in the sunlight; she herself clutched the door frame and stared at him. She wouldn't help him; all he would do is just betray her as soon as he found someone better.

Time passed, Maka grew up, and moved out. Since she didn't have to live with Spirit, than she didn't have to talk to him either.

"_Alright, I'm going to sleep. Night Soul~" _Maka called as she heard a grunt of agreement, walking up the steps of her apartment and making her way into her room. There, she would change into her pajamas and sit down on the side of her bed; throwing the blankets over herself as she looked towards the closed door. The lights underneath it faded away as Soul turned in for the night, and Maka had reached under her pillow to pull out a small picture frame. It was of Spirit, laughing and taking a drink of lemonade at a picnic they had when she was younger. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his image, and in her mind; she imagined Spirit wrapping her into a tight hug as a chuckle left his lips and he mumbled about how much he loved 'his Maka'.

_Just like he used to._


End file.
